The eldest of three sons, Robert Baratheon succeeded his father as lord of the Stormlands upon his parent's death in a shipwreck. He was fostered at the Eyrie along with Eddard Stark by Lord Jon Arryn until he came of age to rule the Stormlands. Robert eventually betrothed Eddard's sister Lyanna, whose later apparent "abduction" by Prince Rheagar Targaryen triggerd the rebellion known as Robert's Rebellion, or the War of the Usurper by Targaryen loyalists.

In the aftermath of the war, Robert assumed the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms on the pretext of a distant relation to the Targaryens (his grandmother was the daughter of King Aegon V). To cement newly formed allegiances that helped secure a Targaryen defeat, Robert married Cersei Lannister and pardoned many of his former enemies. He named Jon Arryn Hand of the King, and, not bothering to hide a contempt of politics and court intrigue, left much of the governance of the realm in Arryn's hands. Robert was a warrior at heart, and by his own admission, ill-suited for kingship. Fond of feasts, celebrations, and tourneys, Robert eventually squandered the vast treasury left by King Aerys Targaryen.

In his youth and leading up to the rebellion, Robert was a healthy man described by Eddard Stark as a veritable giant of a man, standing six and a half feet tall, clean shaven, broad chested, muscled, and enormously strong. But after years of sedentary rule, participating in countless feasts and celebrations, he eventually gained thirteen stone and grew a coarse beard to hide his unsightly jowls.

Throughout his life, Robert indulged in life's pleasures, having fathered his first bastard before the age of sixteen, and sired many more over the years. He was known for his gregarious, outgoing nature, and was frequently able to turn foes into friends.

Events Surrounding the War of the Usurper

Lyanna's perceived abduction by Prince Rhaegar Targaryen enraged the Houses of Baratheon and Stark, leading Lyanna's brother Brandon to ride to King's Landing to demand her return. But Brandon was imprisoned and later executed by King Aerys Targaryen, who eventually ordered his Hand Jon Arryn to present him with the heads of Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark. Jon Arryn instead rose in rebellion against Aerys, and the lords of the Vale, Stormlands, and North called their banners to begin Robert's Rebellion.

After killing Rhaegar on the river Trident and winning the rebellion, Robert was crowned King of the Seven Kingdoms. But despite the victory on the battlefield, Lyanna died - under unknown circumstances - a death which Eddard witnessed. While the truth has yet to be revealed, it is suspected that Lyanna was actually in love with Rhaegar and that there never was a forcible abduction. Rather, it is believed that Lyanna and Rhaegar conceived a son, Jon Snow, who later became the ward of Eddard Stark to fulfill a promise he made to his sister on her death bed, unbeknown to Robert.

Robert thereafter bore an irrational hatred against Targaryens in general and Rhaegar in particular. This hatred was revealed when Lord Tywin Lannister presented Robert with the mutilated bodies of Rhaegar's wife Elia of Dorne and their two young children. Despite Eddard Stark's disgust and outrage over the act, Robert was pleased that they were dead referring to the bodies as dragonspawn.

When Jon Arryn died suddenly, Robert journeyed to Winterfell to meet the last person he truly trusted, Eddard Stark, after a long separation. By this time, many years of indulging his pleasures had left Robert a fat, unhealthy man. Eddard reluctantly agreed to serve as Hand of the King and traveled to King's Landing, where he discovered that Robert's children were in fact Cersei's bastards born of incest with her brother Jaime. After Eddard threatened to reveal her secret to Robert, Cersei had Robert killed during a hunting trip and Eddard imprisoned; Robert's death tipped off a struggle for power that lead to the War of the Five Kings.

Known Bastards

Although Robert Baratheon is known to have fathered sixteen bastards, only one has been acknowledged. Five have been seen by notable characters, while two others have been mentioned only in passing.

• Gendry. An unacknowledged bastard who was born to a worker in an alehouse in King's Landing. While his last name has not been specified, the traditional surname for bastards born in the Crownlands is Waters.
• Mya Stone. An unacknowledged bastard daughter born to Robert in the Vale, though her parentage was known to Robert's friends. She was given the surname Stone like all bastards born to the Vale.
• Edric Storm. Robert's only acknowledged bastard son, born to Delena Florent. He was conceived on the night of Robert's brother Stannis' wedding to Selyse Florent—in Stannis' wedding bed, before Stannis himself had actually a chance to use it.
• Bella. An unacknowledged bastard daughter who lives as a whore at an inn called the Peach at Stoney Sept. Bella almost took Gendry on as a client at one point, which was prevented by an unexpected crisis.
• Barra. The youngest of Robert's known bastard children. A baby born to a whore in King's Landing, she and her mother were killed by Queen Cersei's agents following Robert's death.
• Two unnamed twins. Petyr Baelish hints that Robert fathered twins to a woman in Casterly Rock, who were likewise killed by Queen Cersei's agents.

Portrait of Robert Baratheon by Amoka: